Desk pen holder



' Marh21,1933. R, BACK HAL 1,902,208

nnsx PEN HOLDER Filed Aug. v 14, 1926 radin/fk, fha/ugr,

Patented Mar. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE ROBERT BACK ANDGLENN A. COOPER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,T0 PEN `:DESK SET COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS DESK PEN HOLDERApplication led August 14, 1926. Serial No. 129,126.

An object of this invention is to provide va pen holder which willsubstantially seal the nib from the surrounding atmosphere t0 preventevaporation of the ink.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pen holder of the typesuitable and convenient for use at a desk and which will prevent leakageof the pen and the smearing of ink upon the portion of the pen which isgripped by the fingers of the writer.

A further 0b]- ect is the provision of a novel construction of receivingreceptacle or pen holder for readily receiving and retaining a fountainpen in a position instantly available for use.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will later appear and areinherently posessed by the invention.

Our invention further resides in the combination, construction andarrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and, whilewe have shown therein a preferred embodiment, we wish it understood thatthe same is susceptible of modification and change without departingfrom the spirit of our invention.

Referring now to the drawing which illustrates this invention, Fig. 1 isa plan view of a desk pen holder with a suitable pen inserted therein.

Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view of the base and pen holdershowing a pen inserted in the holder..

Fig. 3 is a detailed view in section of the pen holder illustrating thelmanner of inserting the pen.

Referring now in greater details to the drawing, a base which isgenerally indicated by the numeral 1 is provided with an aperture 2 inwhich is mounted a sleeve 3. The upper open end of the sleeve is turnedinwardly slightly in order to retain the ball 4 against further upwardmovement. A spring 5 or other suitable means may be employed forthrusting the ball upwardly toward the top of the sleeve 3 and holdingit by pressure against the aforesaid inturned edge, in order that theball may be releasably held in any position to which it may be turned.If desired a bearing plate 6 may be used for thrusting against the ballon the one side and for bearing against a spiral spring 5 on its lowerside. The sleeve or socket member 3 may be secured in the aperture 2 ofthe base 1 by means of an anchor plate 15 positioned at the lower end ofthe opening or aperture v2 and a bolt or other tightening means 16mounted in the plate 15 and adapted to threadedly engage the sleeve orsocket 3. This attaching means firmly holds the socket 3 in the basemember without disturbing the frictional contact between the ball andthe socket.

A receptacle generally indicated as 7 is then aiiixed to the ball ina'suitable manner as by the screw 8. It Will be observed that the lowerend of this receptacle is sealed` At the open end of the receptacle isprovided a shoulder 9 which is adapted to -grip the outer surface of apen, as indicated in Fig. 2. The shoulder 9, the interior of thereceptacle, and the pen are so designed that the shoulder 1l on a pensection, referred to in the claims as the pen section shoulder, cannottouch thc inner walls of the receptacle. It will be observed that whenthe pen is placed firmly in the receptacle it substantially seals thercceptacle Aso that the air in the surrounding atmosphere cannotcirculate freely into contact with the pen point and cause evaporationof the ink. In like manner dust is excluded from the receptacle. Thegeneral configuration of the interior of the receptacle approximates ataper with a small cylindrical portion 12 at the lower end. The purposeof the taper is to afford easy entrance of the nib into the cylindricalportion 12. The cylindrical portion is of such diameter that it willlaterally support the nib, restricting its lateral movement and thusholding the longitudinal axis of the pen in alignment with thelongitudinal axis of the receptacle. An advaniagc arising from thisalignment of axes is found in the symmetrical appearance of the pen andpen holder. A further advantage is that the pen section shoulder cannottouch the interior walls of the receptacle and become smeared with anyink which may be found on those walls.

The vent ,13 opens from the interior of the receptacle to the exteriorat a point under the outwardly flaring skirt 14 of the shoulder piece 9,thus providing a limited communication with the outside atmosphere. Ithas been found by experiment that such a vent is vital to the successfuloperation of thedevice. If desired. the vent 13 may be located at someother point or a plurality of vents may be provided. When the vent isomitted and the nib and feed are hermetically sealed from the outeratmosphere, the small portion of air occluded within the cap becomescompletely saturated with water vapor from the ink. Atmospherictemperature changes will then cause condensation of this water vapor onthe nib and lower end of the pen section, a disagreeable and messycondition thus confronting the user of the pen. If, on the other hand,the nib and feed are openly exposed to the atmosphere in non-use, theywill dry out to an extent that prevents ready How of ink when one wishesto start writing. The vent hole, therefore, has been added to produce adesirable condition lying between the two extremes. The size of the holehas been determined by experiment so that enough moist air may beconfined within the cap to prevent the drying of the nib and feed, andsufficient ventilation is supplied to prevent condensation, or what iscommonly termed sweating.

The pressure of the spring against the ball and the arrangement of theball in the sleeve 8 is such that the receptacle may be rotated into anydesired position, where it then will remain. As a consequence, the userof this desk set may place the pen in any convenient inclined position,out of the way, yet covenient to his reach. If desired, this inventionmay be so modified as to permit the pen holding receptacle to be morenearly lowered to a horizontal position. However, if desired, theinvention may bel modified to permit of the receptacle being rotateddownwardly to a horizontal position. The receptacle, as illustrated, maybe rotated about a vertical or horizontal axis, or a plurality of otheraxes.

`Having shown and described our invention, we claim:-

l. In a fountain pen desk set, a base, an open-mouthed tubular penholder mounted at its lower. end on said base, an inwardly eX- tendingannular shoulder 1n said holder adjacent the mouth of the same, theinner walls of the holder and said annular shoulder being so related asto maintain the pen section shoulder of a fountain pen out of contactwith said inner walls as the pen is inserted in the holder, said annularshoulder acting as a sealfor the holder when the pen is positionedtherein, the holder being provided with a small aperture for regulatingthe humidity of the air within the holder.

2. In a fountain pen desk set, a base, an open-mouthed receptaclemounted on said base, said receptacle having an inwardly eX- tendingannular shoulder near its open mouth, an aperture in the receptacle walladjacent said shoulder, and a flaring skirt overlapping but slightlyspaced from said aperture.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names to thisspecification.

ROBERT BACK. GLENN A. COOPER.

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